White-Tailed Buck In Front Of Pictured Rocks Is Most Popular Design For 2018 Michigan Quarter
LANSING, MI December 14, 2016— Out of 13 possible designs, the one featuring a white-tailed buck in front of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore was by far the most popular choice to appear on the forthcoming 2018 America the Beautiful Quarters® to honor Michigan in a survey of schools, coin collectors, and the general public conducted by Lansing’s Liberty Coin Service.
Said Liberty Coin Service Owner Tom Coulson, “Each of the sixteen schools from Dewitt to Holt and Portland to Williamston that provided a quantity of student and staff surveys independently chose this design as the most popular. In all about one-third of survey responses picked this as the first choice. Over half the surveys listed this design as either the first, second, or third choice! In all more than 2,000 surveys were received from schools and hundreds more from others.”
Coulson continued, “We conducted this unofficial, non-scientific survey because the U.S. Mint’s process for selecting the designs for the America the Beautiful Quarters® does not include any public input as occurred with the 2004 Michigan Statehood Quarter. We think that is wrong. Public participation in selecting coin designs encourages more collectors, which is something the U.S. Mint seeks to achieve. Almost everyone who was asked to fill out a survey was delighted to do so. Although the Mint considers other factors in selecting a coin design, we think public input deserves attention.”
Although this survey has no binding influence on the process of selecting which design will appear on this coin when it debuts in early 2018, Liberty Coin Service is sending copies of the results to Michigan Governor Snyder’s office and to the U.S. Mint.
Liberty Coin Service, founded in 1971, is Michigan’s largest and most frequently honored rare coin and precious metals dealership. The company also buys and sells a variety of collectibles including high quality antique toys, militaria, memorabilia from automotive, banking, railroad, and aviation industries, Michigan college and university collectibles, pre-1960 autographs and sports memorabilia, pre-1900 newspapers, and other items. Patrick A. Heller, the owner emeritus and now communications officer of Liberty Coin Service calls himself the “unofficial artist” of the 2004 Michigan Statehood Quarter for being the primary author of the written instructions to the U.S. Mint’s engravers to create the master design for that coin.
The most popular design in the survey was the 10th of 13 candidates. To view all candidate designs, go to http://www.coinweek.com/us-mint-news/ccac-discuss-2018-america-beautiful-quarter-design-candidates/. Pictures courtesy of the U.S. Mint.
